Challenger girls claim New Year's title

Sunday

Jan 6, 2013 at 12:20 AM

SALEM — Ali Spani and Alaina Thomson each had 17 points to help guide the Cascade Christian girls basketball team to a 60-41 triumph over Salem Academy in the eight-school Crusader New Year's Invitational championship on Saturday.

SALEM — Ali Spani and Alaina Thomson each had 17 points to help guide the Cascade Christian girls basketball team to a 60-41 triumph over Salem Academy in the eight-school Crusader New Year's Invitational championship on Saturday.

The Challengers, who have won four straight, buried 10 3-pointers against the Crusaders. Spani sank five triples and Thomson nailed three.

Cascade Christian held a 34-24 lead at halftime and owned a 20-point advantage after three quarters.

"We shot the ball real well tonight and got off to a hot start," said Cascade Christian head coach Marvin Denman. "We had a lot of people playing together, and we're starting to really jell. Playing in a three-day tourney like this brought us together."

Stephanie Croy turned in 12 points and nine rebounds, Michelle Kinney had eight assists and six points and Thomson added nine rebounds for the Challengers (7-5).

"(Kinney) was making sure everyone was getting the ball and distributing," Denman said.

PHOENIX 57, NORTH BEND 28 — At North Bend, Phoenix, coming off two straight losses to one of the state's best teams, got back on track in a nonconference contest postponed earlier by bad weather.

Bailee Tally scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Pirates (8-4), who had lost consecutive games to Mazama by an average of 24.5 points. The Vikings, No. 2 in the OSAA Class 4A rankings, beat the Pirates in a holiday tournament title game, then in the Skyline Conference opener Friday.

Tally scored 10 of her points in the first half of the third quarter, and Phoenix limited North Bend to eight second-half points.

Kasey Hamilton added 10 points, and Delanie Tally had six rebounds, four assists and four steals.